Kemba Walker Talks Return to Celtics Lineup After Recovering from Knee Injury

Boston Celtics star point guard Kemba Walker returned to game action during Sunday's 105-75 loss to the New York Knicks after recovering from a knee injury that had kept him out of action to start the 2020-21 season. 

"It felt really good to be out there," Walker told reporters. "I kinda forgot how good it feels to be out there."

He was understandably rusty in his return to game action, finishing with nine points on 3-of-13 shooting to go along with four assists, three rebounds, three steals and five turnovers in 20 minutes. That didn't mean Walker didn't have some excellent moments.

More importantly, however, was that Walker felt comfortable during the game.

"I'm pain-free, which I haven't been for a very, very long time," he told reporters. "It's kind of a weird feeling. I've been hurting for a very long time."

Walker, 30, is a key figure for the Celtics. He averaged 20.4 points and 4.8 assists for the Celtics in his debut season, fitting in with players like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown far more seamlessly than Kyrie Irving had before him. 

He comes back to a team where he'll likely be the third option on offense, however. Tatum (26.9 PPG) and Brown (25.8 PPG) have been superb for the 8-4 Celtics and are both younger than 25. They are the future for the Celtics, but they are proving to be a dynamic duo in the present as well. 

Walker has made his money as a dynamic scorer during his career, though he showed a willingness to take a step back offensively last season, going from 20.5 shots per game with the Charlotte Hornets in 2018-19 to 15.9 shots per game last year, his lowest mark since the 2014-15 season. 

Those Hornets teams needed Walker to carry the offense. These Celtics do not, and Walker appears to know it.

"He's killing it. I don't want him to think that just because I'm back that he can't keep killing it, because he can," Walker said of Brown. "That's what I'm here for. I'm here to encourage him just to be great, which he's been all year. I just want to try to add to it. That's it."